Bush Endorses McCain at White House Event

WASHINGTON — A day after clinching the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. John McCain won the endorsement Wednesday of President Bush, who praised his one-time political opponent as a man "who will bring determination to defeat an enemy and a heart big enough to love those who hurt."

Standing beside Bush at the White House, McCain rebuffed suggestions that the president's low approval ratings might hurt more than help his campaign.

"I hope that he'll campaign for me as much as is in keeping with his busy schedule," said McCain. "Could I say, one state springs to mind? Texas."

Bush lauded McCain for prevailing against long odds in a campaign that pitted him against better-financed foes like former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

"John showed incredible courage and strength of character and perseverance in order to get to this moment," said Bush. "And that's exactly what we need in a president: somebody who can handle the tough decisions, somebody who won't flinch in the face of danger."

Bush acknowledged, jokingly, that his low approval ratings — just 32 percent of Americans approve of his job performance, a Feb. 21-24 Gallup poll found — raise the question of whether his support helps or hurts McCain.

"Look, if my showing up and endorsing him helps him, or if I'm against him and it helps him, either way, I want him to win," said Bush.

"It's not about me," Bush said. "I've done my bit."

Bush remains popular among the conservative base of his party, where McCain has been hurt by his support for comprehensive immigration reform, campaign finance reform, and his initial opposition to the Bush tax cuts, among other issues.

In an early effort to help shore up GOP support for McCain, Bush called Republicans who have dropped out of the presidential race - including Giuliani, Romney, Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee - to urge them to rally around McCain as the party standard bearer.

Bush can also help McCain with fundraising.

"He's still the president and he still can raise money," said presidential scholar Allan Lichtman, professor of history at American University in Washington.

Democrats pounced on the president's embrace of McCain, sending the message to an electorate clamoring for change that the presumptive GOP nominee would mark a continuation of Bush policies at home and abroad.

"John McCain offers a third term of George W. Bush," the Democratic National Committee asserted in a prepared statement.

"That's going to be the fundamental theme of the campaign," said Lichtman.

McCain, he said, must be careful about how he uses Bush's support.

"He's walking a tightrope, and there's nothing he can do about it," said Lichtman. "You can't run away from who you are and you can't run away from the president of your own party."

Bush did not call a long-shot GOP hopeful, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who has yet to formally drop his White House bid.

"But obviously, the president and Ron Paul have known each other for many years, from their time in Texas," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, "and I'm sure they'll speak at some point in the future."